Campa

//**The Visual Arts in Classical Greece** // ** ﻿ //Fifth Century BCE // ** //**By: Tina Campa**//   //**Student, Cardinal Stritch Unversity** //

//**Overvi ﻿ew: **//

Ancient Greece is best known for their art culture, the art plays a huge role in their culture. Their art isn't known just for decoration it has more meaning than what individuals are aware of. Classical art comes more from literary resources that have been maintained over the centuries. Greeks picked classical art as a name because it was the best way to describe the later periods in which the artists received their inspiration to create this ancient style. Everyone around the world considers that classical art owes its lasting influence to the simplicity, reasonableness, the humanity and the sheer beauty it represents.

It’s viewed as the greatest and first period of the classical art that began about the middle of the 5th century BC. The art and architecture was viewed as an expression of the natural life. A great example of a very early classical work is the Kritios Boy, who revealed an interest in realism. Which, then the sculptors decided to begin an exciting interest in representation of a human body in motion. From this the artist learned to represent the human appearance naturally and easily, in action or even when at rest. The Greeks say that their best sculptures have accomplished almost godlike perfection in their calm, orderly beauty.

There are many main points about the early art that was carried thought the Classical period including, that the art was viewed as a religious nature which supports religious activity. Which the arts are idealized in many numerous ways and the figures that are illustrated in the context of myths. But, beside the ideal beauty that visual art is producing it’s not being done because of nature but the power of the human mind. The artist views their art as meaning especially when it comes to sculpting what their eyes see. The eyes tend to catch more than what we think, eyes were an important part of visual art. And Greek artists of the fifth centuries BCE had achieved a style of representation that has carried a strength of life as well as a sense of stability, clarity, and harmony.

Although some of the art has been destroyed as the years go by they still represent and have a high influence on the Greek culture and civilization. The works done by the artist in the fifth century BCE attribute many themes, attitudes, and forms of the western culture. Greeks also thought that the nude human figure in Greek art reproduces an acceptance that “man is the measure of all things”. As for the Greek heritage it is stated that the west has inherited the architecture. But as we look into more information we realize that many of the structural fundamentals, decorative themes and building types that were established in Ancient Greece are still used in architecture today.

//**Major Works:**//
 * Myron, Discobolos (Discus Thrower around 450 BCE)
 * Master Greek sculptor on the Greek mainland (Riace Bronzes-mid-fifth-century-BCE) [[image:http://academic.reed.edu/humanities/110tech/thumbnails/ParthenonPlan.jpeg width="220" height="203" align="right"]]
 * Polykleitos, Doryphoros (Spear-bearer 440 BCE
 * Reed Painter (Warrior Seated at His Tomb, late 5th century BCE)
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">Grave stele of Crito and Timarista (c. 420 BCE)
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">Reconstruction drawing of the Temple of Zeus Olympia Greece (c. 470-456 BCE)
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">Battle Between the Lapiths and Centaurs (c. 470-456 BCE)
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">The Acropolis
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">The Parthenon (447-432 BCE)
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">Equestrian Group (c. 442-432 BCE)
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">The Goddesses (c. 438-432 BCE)
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">Lapith and Centaur (c. 448-442 BCE)
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">The Propylaea (Mnesikles, Propylaea 437-431 BCE)
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">The Erechtheum
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">Caryatids

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">//**Short Poems**:// <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 140%; text-align: left;"> <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 140%; text-align: left;">//**Two Relevant Monographs:**//
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">Philosopher, Chrysippus (c. 280-207 BCE) "Beauty"
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">Polykleitos (The Cannon)
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 140%;">Pollitt, J. J. (1972). //Art and experience in classical Greece//. Cambridge [Eng.: Cambridge University Press **.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">Summary: In this book the author is summarizing how Greek art become developed. He is also informing us what Greek scuplture, painting, and architecture means and how important it is seen in Greek civilization. There is more to understanding it because most of the artist that did the art no longer exist. It simply informs us about what each artist did and what meaning it had when they made the art. This book is a great source if your looking for a specific artist and what inspired them to do their art in their own way.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 140%;">**Rutter, N. K., & Sparkes, B. A. (2000). //Word and image in ancient Greece//. Edinburgh**: **Edinburgh University Press**.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">Summary: Art is trying be recreated by newer artists, by bring the art back to Greek culture. The stories and poems that are being told are a true meaning and that's why the people want the civilization to note why it is so important for them to feel comfortable about the nude and what it represents. The sculpators, vase paintings, and architectute also have a different view, they want everyone to see how they are shaped and the location of the pediments. The author also is trying to figure what if there is a meaning or difference between the images and texts used in the visual art in classical Greece. There are many writing with a high level of address in understanding classical art and the thought that comes with it. <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 140%; text-align: left;"> <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 140%; text-align: left;">**Three Peer-Relevant Scholarly Journals:** <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 140%; text-align: left;"> <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 140%; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">Hemingway, Colette, and Seán Hemingway. "The Art of Classical Greece (ca. 480–323 B.C. )". In //Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History//. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">In this article, they inform us about the classical art that was shorten during the Persian war and continued throught the Peloponnesian War. The artists are trying to show us how they have continued to keep the represenation of clearness, the harmony, and the sense of durablity.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">"The Female Nude in Classical Art: Between Voyeurism and Power In Love Gods." //In the Company of Aphrodite.// Boston: Museum of Fine Arts. Summer. //(Books and Publications: Chapter)// **2010**

<span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 140%; text-align: left;">**Two Relevant Websites:** <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 140%; text-align: left;">Greek Sculpture: Early Classical Period [] <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 140%; text-align: left;"> <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 140%; text-align: left;"> [] Youtube: []

<span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">//**Five Study Questions:**//

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 130%;">Why did the Greeks believe that visual art was important part of civilization? <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 130%;">From where did the idea of making sculpators of the human body? <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 130%;">﻿﻿Did Greeks feel comfortable about art in the nude? <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 130%;">Do we see visual art as an important part of the Greek culture? <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 130%;">Do we as individuals appreciate the visual art that was done in the classical Greece?